Cheney council defers hook up charges

City hopes move attracts new businesses, applies only to south-end commerce park

In an effort to promote new development in Cheney’s vacant Commerce and Industrial Park, the City Council unanimously approved a resolution changing the structure of utility connection charges for businesses who might be interested in locating to the park inside the city’s southwest limits.

The resolution allows potential new businesses in the park with connection charges in excess of $10,000 to sign an agreement with the city paying 20 percent of the total charges up front, and the rest over a structured 12-month period without interest. Currently those charges for water and electrical are due and payable upon connect to city services.

The move is designed to make the park, paid for mostly through federal economic development funds, more attractive to new businesses experiencing other start up costs that coupled with Cheney’s charges might lead them to look elsewhere. Councilman John Taves asked City Administrator Mark Schuller about the aspect of potential new businesses and if it applied to the park’s new customer, Cheney Hydroponics.

Schuller said Cheney Hydroponics made the request. Cheney Hydroponics co-owner Bill Youngs told the council they paid 10 percent more than the city ‘s published asking price the property to purchase the location, and that in their “naiveté” didn’t realize the extent to which other charges might be accrued, such as the requirement to install a sidewalk, which Youngs’ brother Chris estimated at $6,200.

“We’re also in the entrepreneurial effort to get something going (in the park) so it makes a huge difference to us and anybody else who wants to come into the city,” Bill Youngs said.

Joe Noland, Cheney’s Light Department director, noted the overall connection charges to Cheney Hydroponics for electrical, water and sewer totaled about $18,000. Councilwoman Teresa Overhauser, serving as mayor pro-tem in the absence of Mayor Tom Trulove, noted the deferment idea had been discussed in previous committee meetings and agrees it was a good move for promoting future business.

Council unanimously passed resolutions amending a pair of previous resolutions. The first made changes to the city’s charges for electrical goods and services while a second corrected language in an interlocal agreement allowing Cheney’s Municipal Court to provide court services to the city of Medical Lake.

Court Administrator Terri Cooper said most of the changes were formatting errors, although one change made was to previous language indicating Cheney was “establishing” a court.

“We’re not establishing a court,” Cooper said. The language was changed to note the agreement allowed Cheney’s court to operate as the municipal court for Medical Lake.

Council also held the first readings on three ordinances making changes to the city’s municipal code that were previously brought before the Planning Commission for review and approval: Chapter 2.60 – Hearing Examiner, Chapter 22 – Subdivisions and Chapter 23 – Development Code Administration.

City Attorney Stanley Schwartz told the council that the most important portion of the Hearing Examiner chapter is section five, titled “Duties and Powers.” Schwartz said there were significant changes in this section, particularly in how cases get to the council, and said he will spend more time at the Oct. 28 meeting discussing this process.

The council voted to defer the second and third readings and final passage of all three ordinances to a future meeting.

Finally, the council approved an ordinance, holding all three readings and final passage, amending the portion of Chapter 18 of the city’s municipal code — Fire — dealing with fireworks. The change now gives Fire Chief Mike Winters the authority to approve or deny applications for fireworks displays within the city limits.

The chapter’s previous working required the fire chief to come before the City Council for approval, which Winters did at Tuesday night’s meeting with an application from the high school for a fireworks display after its Homecoming football game this Friday.

The council unanimously approved that resolution.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].

Author Bio

John McCallum, Retired editor

John McCallum is an award-winning journalist who retired from Cheney Free Press after more than 20 years. He received 10 Washington Newspaper Publisher Association awards for journalism and photography, including first place awards for Best Investigative, Best News and back-to-back awards in Best Breaking News categories.

 

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